Teen accused of fatal shooting during Kenosha protests arrested in Illinois
A teen accused of opening fire on a group during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last night, killing two, is in custody in Illinois, the Antioch police department announced in a Facebook post. The post did not name the 17-year-old, who they said is an Antioch resident. But the State's Attorney's office in Lake County, Illinois, said Kyle Rittenhouse was in bond court this morning regarding being a fugitive from justice in Wisconsin, and is being held on no bond. He was due back in court for an extradition hearing on Friday.
Cellphone video that circulated on social media showed what appeared to be a White man with a semi-automatic rifle opening fire on a group of people during demonstrations over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The video shows the man jogging down the street as a crowd follows him. Someone can be heard asking "What did he do?" and another person responds that the man had shot someone. The man with the gun stumbles and falls, and as he's approached by people in the crowd he fires several shots, hitting at least two people.
The man with the gun is then seen walking toward responding police vehicles, at times with his hands in the air, as some police vehicles drive past him.
Kenosha police identified the two people killed only as a 26-year-old from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. Police said one person was wounded, a 36-year-old from West Allis, Wisconsin who was expected to survive.
The warrant out of Kenosha County, Wisconsin, charges the teen with first-degree intentional homicide, according to the Antioch Police.
The shooting came as clashes again erupted between demonstrators and law enforcement during a third night of unrest, looting and vandalism in Kenosha, where on Sunday a police officer was seen on disturbing video shooting Jacob Blake multiple times in the back. Attorneys for Blake's family said he is paralyzed from the waist down.
Tension also arose earlier Tuesday between protesters and an armed group purportedly organized to protect property, reports CBS Milwaukee affiliate WDJT-TV.
The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks extremist activity, told CBS News there were militia members at the Kenosha protest but found no indication from Rittenhouse's social media footprint that he is connected to any extremist movements. His posts indicate he is extremely pro-police and appears to have been a former police explorer, a career-oriented program for youth considering a career in law enforcement. Many of his social media posts use the phrase, "Blue Lives Matter," according to the ADL.
Arrest documents indicate Rittenhouse is employed by the YMCA as a lifeguard.
In a statement, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said the "violence and destruction that took place in Kenosha last night was despicable."
"Kenosha residents deserve the opportunity to grieve, come together, peacefully protest, call for change, and heal," Kaul wrote. "The heavily armed vigilantes, arsonists, and other opportunists who have come to Kenosha to attempt to spur chaos have interfered with that and caused drastic harm to people. If those engaging in violence and destruction of property believe they are furthering some broader goal, they are wrong. They should leave Kenosha."
Sarah Barth contributed reporting.
